The Lion
Studio album by
Youssou N'Dour
Released1989
GenreMbalax[1]
LabelVirgin Records
ProducerDavid Sancious, George Acogny, Peter Gabriel
Youssou N'Dour chronology
Nelson Mandela
(1986)		 The Lion
(1989)		 Set
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauB+[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Hi-Fi News & Record ReviewA*:2[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
St. Petersburg Times[7]

The Lion is an album by Youssou N'Dour, released in 1989.[8][9] It was his first album to be distributed on a global scale.[8]

Production

The album was produced by David Sancious, George Acogny, and Peter Gabriel.[10] The musicians were drawn from both Super Étoile de Dakar and Gabriel's band.[6]

Critical reception

The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the lack of definable hooks reduces the music to a luxuriant wash of sound that often buries N’Dour’s vocals."[10] Nick Robinson, reviewer of British music newspaper Music Week, praised the album. He noticed that the "joyful, flowing" voice of Senegalese performer matches good with "colourful rhythms." In the end Robinson said: "It's probably of the strongest world music / mainstream crossover albums and it should repeat the success of the 'Shakin' the Tree' single."[11] Trouser Press thought that "the title track sounds like mbalax meets the Go-Go’s, while 'Old Tucson' a song about the museums N’Dour has visited on his world travels, is merely puzzling."[12] The Washington Post opined that "some of [N'Dour's] new songs boast the bouncy, hooky tunefulness of [Paul] Simon's, and sit as comfortably atop the Central African rhythms as Simon's did atop the South African rhythms of Graceland."[13]

Track listing

  1. "The Lion / Gaïende" – 5:34
  2. "Shakin' the Tree" – 5:42
  3. "Kocc Barma" – 4:28
  4. "Bamako" – 4:19
  5. "The Truth" – 4:04
  6. "Old Tucson" – 5:03
  7. "Macoy" – 7:17
  8. "My Daughter (Sama Doom)" – 6:38
  9. "Bes" – 5:07

References

  1. ↑ Feist, Daniel (26 Oct 1989). "A breakthrough album: N'Dour's The Lion roars". The Gazette. p. E8.
  2. ↑ "The Lion - Youssou N'Dour | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  3. ↑ "Robert Christgau: Album: Youssou N'Dour: The Lion". www.robertchristgau.com.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 134.
  5. ↑ Hyder, Ken (September 1989). "Review: Youssou N'Dour — The Lion" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 9. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. p. 99. ISSN 0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
  6. 1 2 The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 497–498.
  7. ↑ Volk, Steven (8 Dec 1989). "SOUND BITES". St. Petersburg Times. Weekend. p. 17.
  8. 1 2 "Youssou N'Dour | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  9. ↑ "An African Superstar Sings Out to the World". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  10. 1 2 "YOUSSOU N'DOUR. "The Lion." Virgin **". Los Angeles Times. August 13, 1989.
  11. ↑ Robinson, Nick (10 June 1989). "Review: Youssou N'Dour – The Lion" (PDF). Music Week. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 20. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2022 – via World Radio History.
  12. ↑ "Youssou N'Dour". Trouser Press. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  13. ↑ "INTERNATIONAL POP SOUNDS FROM AFRICA". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
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